A Growing Hunger for Spiritual Fruit I had the privilege of pastoring Newport Assembly of God for fifty-one years. Our church is located in a small Pennsylvania town of 1,700 residents in a rural county of approximately 46,000 people. Over the years, the Lord enabled our church to build some amazing ministries at home and abroad. We continue to be a major stakeholder in our county. The Bread of Life Outreach (BOLO) receives, processes, and distributes more than 210 tons of food, household products, non-prescription medical supplies, and durable medical equipment each month. It is rewarding to operate our local food pantry and see hundreds of families served every week. While our church was meeting physical needs in significant ways, I felt we were lacking in identifying tangible spiritual fruit. We regularly shared Jesus and prayed with the people we served. However, it was often difficult to find the quality time needed to build meaningful friendships and help people take deeper steps in their relationship with Christ. We have a saying at Newport Assembly: "We are married to the mission but dating the strategy." So we prayed and asked God for direction. Discovering Dinner Church Eight years ago, I learned about a growing church planting model centered around tables and was encouraged to read Verlon Fosner's book, Welcome to Dinner Church. The book immediately captured my attention, and I began praying and researching this movement. As my excitement grew, I started sharing the vision with our congregation. Church members were invited to informational meetings where the dinner church model was presented. Key leaders were identified and challenged to take on important roles. We organized, planned, and—most importantly—prayed as we embarked on this dinner church journey. Our goal was to reach the unchurched, de-churched, and impoverished in our community. Ideally, we hoped to find a building not associated with a church, but no suitable location became available. Instead, we settled on Newport Assembly's Family Life Center, a gymnasium with a commercial kitchen and stage. We knew church properties can be barriers for some people, so we worked hard to create a welcoming environment. Invitation cards were distributed through our food pantry and throughout the community, and A-frame signs were placed in strategic locations to advertise our new gathering. Launching The Dinner Table We launched The Dinner Table on the last Thursday of March 2019. Our initial goal was to average fifty attendees per week by the end of 2019 and one hundred attendees per week by the end of 2020. After just three months, we were averaging 123 attendees each week. When we paused gatherings one year later due to COVID-19, attendance had grown to an average of 158 people per week. We resumed meeting in September 2020 and currently average around 130 attendees each week, supported by twenty-five to thirty faithful team members who serve on a regular basis.
This article emerged from the Fresh Expressions Podcast episode “Finding Belonging” featuring David Kim, author of Made to Belong. To listen to the full conversation, visit . Across North America, church leaders are asking important questions about how to connect with college students and young adults. Many campuses are filled with opportunities to connect, yet meaningful community often remains elusive. Despite being surrounded by classmates, roommates, organizations, and online networks, many students still struggle to find places where they feel truly known. The challenge facing churches is not simply how to gather students into a room. It is how to cultivate spaces where people can experience belonging. In a conversation on the Fresh Expressions Podcast, David Kim, author of Made to Belong , reflected on his own journey of loneliness, belonging, and community. Born in South Korea and moving to the United States at age ten, David experienced firsthand the challenges of finding connection in an unfamiliar culture. As he reflected on both his personal story and his years of pastoral ministry, he came to a realization: “I realized that wait a minute—I’m not the only one struggling with loneliness. So many of our people are coming into the church community longing and desperate for deeper spiritual friendships and communities.” While David’s comments were not directed specifically toward college students, they name a reality that many campus ministers, pastors, and church leaders encounter every day. Beneath the activity, busyness, and constant connection of modern life is a deep desire to be known. Belonging Often Begins with Shared Interests One of the practices David identifies in his work is what he calls “chemistry.” For some Christians, that word may feel uncomfortable. Aren’t we supposed to love everyone equally? David suggests a more nuanced approach. He explains, “There is actually a way for us to love all and still be okay to lean into the few that God is highlighting in our lives.” Host Heather Jallad immediately connected this idea to the Fresh Expressions movement, observing that “a lot of these Fresh Expressions of church kind of develop around affinity groups.” That observation helps explain why many Fresh Expressions begin not with a worship service, Bible study, or church program, but with a shared interest, hobby, passion, or experience. Again and again, we see relationships develop when people gather around something they already enjoy together. Several years ago, a member of our church in Blacksburg, Virginia, began wondering what might happen if her love of hiking became a place for spiritual connection. Emma, an avid hiker, noticed that many people in our region found meaning, reflection, and even a sense of God’s presence while spending time outdoors. Rather than waiting for a church committee to launch a ministry, she simply invited others to experiment with her. The first hikes included moments of silence, prayer, reflection, and conversation. Participants were invited to pay attention to creation through their senses and notice where God might be speaking or inviting them deeper. What began as a simple invitation created opportunities for meaningful spiritual conversations among people who already shared a love for the outdoors. We’ve seen this same principle surface in a variety of experiments among college students and young adults. Some have gathered around intramural sports, discovering that shared practices, regular rhythms of games, and post winning (or defeat) milkshake runs create natural opportunities for friendship. Others have explored communities built around gaming and shared interests that provide a low-pressure environment for students to spend time together, build relationships, and eventually engage in deeper conversations about life and faith. The common thread in each of these examples is not the activity itself. Hiking, sports, and gaming are simply the contexts. The deeper reality is that people are often more willing to explore questions of faith after they have first experienced a sense of belonging. Shared interests create space for trust, friendship, and community to develop naturally. Belonging Happens Around Tables Not every Fresh Expression begins on a hiking trail or athletic field. Some begin around a dinner table. At First Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, a ministry called Sunday Slowdown creates space for college students to step away from the pressures of campus life. The gathering centers around a home-cooked meal, board games, and a simple invitation to set phones aside and be fully present with the people in the room. In a season of life often marked by deadlines, constant notifications, and increasing isolation, Sunday Slowdown offers something many students deeply need: a place to slow down and be known. This desire to be known is one of the central themes David returns to throughout his conversation with Heather. Reflecting on the role of vulnerability in healthy community, he asks, “We want to be known but if you do not open up then how can we be truly known to begin with?” Genuine belonging requires more than simply occupying the same room. It requires trust, openness, and the willingness to share life together. Gatherings like Sunday Slowdown remind us that meaningful community is often built through ordinary practices. Sharing a meal, playing a game, listening to another person’s story, or simply being fully present can create the conditions where deeper relationships begin to form. While these moments may appear simple from the outside, they often become the foundation for significant spiritual conversations and lasting friendships. Beyond Content Toward Connection Many churches work hard to create opportunities for learning and discipleship. Bible studies, classes, and small groups remain important tools for spiritual growth. Yet David offers a helpful challenge for those leading communities. “When your group is primarily about regurgitating content, then you’re not really able to forge meaningful relationships.” David is quick to clarify that he loves Scripture and values Bible study. The issue is not the content itself. The issue is stopping there. As he explains: “We have to move on from being just regurgitating content to how that content is affecting and shaping and forming our lives.” This insight may be particularly important when considering ministry among college students and young adults. Many students are not looking for another lecture. They are looking for people who will walk alongside them. They are looking for spaces where questions are welcomed, stories are shared, and faith becomes something lived rather than simply discussed. Heather reflected on this same reality from her experience helping leaders start Fresh Expressions. “I’ve encouraged them to lead with their own limitations rather than walking in the room and saying, ‘I’ve got all the answers.’” Authentic community is rarely built through expertise alone. More often, it grows through honesty, curiosity, and a willingness to journey together. A Question Worth Asking As church leaders consider ministry among college students, young adults, and emerging generations, perhaps the first question is not: “What program should we start?” Perhaps the better question is: Where are people already finding connection? Around meals? On hiking trails? Through intramural sports? In gaming communities? Around creative projects? Through service opportunities? Through shared passions? The Fresh Expressions movement has discovered time and again that belonging often begins in ordinary places and through ordinary experiences. Long before people are ready to explore faith, they are often looking for friendship. Long before they are looking for a church service, they are often looking for a place where they can be known. The goal is not to create an activity for students. The goal is to discover where God may already be creating opportunities for belonging. What shared experiences already exist around your campus? Where are students already gathering? What passions, interests, hobbies, or needs might become the starting point for meaningful relationships? What if the next Fresh Expression among college students begins not with a program, but with belonging? These are some of the questions we continue to explore together during the Fresh Expression Incubators.
What happens when the trail becomes a place of belonging, spiritual conversation, and encounter with God? In this episode, Heather Jallad sits down with Jeff Wadley as he shares how “creation immersion” has opened unexpected opportunities for community, discipleship, and spiritual formation along the hiking trail. Together they explore the idea of wilderness as a “thin place” — where the presence of God feels especially near — and reflect on the ways hikers are finding connection, belonging, and even “tramily” along the journey. From the songbook of creation to the sacred rhythms of the trail, this conversation invites listeners to imagine how shared experiences outdoors can become spaces where people encounter both community and the presence of God. Jeff “Rocky Top” Wadley is the 2026 Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker Chaplain commissioned by the Holston Conference. He is a native of Gatlinburg, TN, married to Joy and they have three children and a very smart grandson. Jeff has just retired as a Clergy from Holston who started Camp Bays Mountain eleven years ago. When not hiking the AT Jeff can be found canoeing in the Minnesota Boundary Waters Wilderness, on a search mission in the Smokies, or helping churches and ministry teams marshaling funds for ministry. This season, we’re diving into the streams of Fresh Expressions — from senior adults and recovery ministry, to arts, outdoors, recreation, and more. Each month, you’ll hear directly from practitioners who are navigating these fresh ways of being church in the world. Their stories will spark your imagination and encourage you to see where God is already at work in your community and how you might join in! So whether you’re a pastor, lay leader, or simply curious about how church can thrive beyond the walls, join us for Season seven of the Fresh Expressions Podcast. Related Resources:
If you’ve ever felt like your ministry is unseen, slow, or harder than you expected—you’re not alone. In this episode of the Rural Renewal Podcast, Sam Peters shares wisdom from The Heart of a Small Town Pastor , offering encouragement for leaders who are in it for the long haul. From building meaningful relationships to leading with patience and protecting your family, this conversation is a reminder that God is at work in the ordinary, everyday faithfulness of pastoral life. Sam Peters is a pastor, author, and church coach with over four decades of experience in small-town and rural ministry. After retiring from bi-vocational pastoral work in 2024, he now encourages and equips leaders through Small Church Coaching. His newest book, The Heart of a Small Town Pastor , is a work of fiction shaped by real ministry experience—offering wisdom on leadership, perseverance, and the quiet faithfulness of shepherding a local church. Sam also creates Worship Rising, a weekly resource to help believers prepare for Sunday worship. He lives in Kentucky with his wife, Joyce. Chris and Kathleen Blackey , are hosts of the Rural Renewal Podcast. Since 2010, together they have served as co-pastors at the First Baptist Church of South Londonderry, Vermont. The Blackeys live in South Londonderry, Vermont with their children – Sarah, Daniel, and Priscilla, as well as their cat, dog, and chickens. Related Resources: The Heart of a Small Town Pastor (Amazon) Join our Facebook group: Rural Renewal Podcast Community Email us: podcasts@freshexpressions.com Subscribe & Review Help us get the word out by subscribing and leaving a review for Rural Renewal Podcast on your favorite platform. Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
At Elkhart Northside Church of the Nazarene, a soccer field has become a place of prayer, community, and connection. Since 2018, Soccer Church has been creating a bilingual space where people gather around a shared love of the game and discover belonging along the way. Here’s a quick look at what it is, how it works, and why it matters. What It Is Soccer Church is a weekly gathering built around prayer, a short devotional, and the beautiful game. Every Monday evening from May through August, people of all ages come together on the soccer field for connection, encouragement, and play. How It Works The evening begins with prayer and a brief devotional before participants head onto the field. Families are welcome—whether they want to play soccer, cheer from the sidelines, or spend time together on the community playground. Everyone is invited, regardless of skill level or church background. Why It Matters For many people, a soccer field feels more familiar than a sanctuary. Soccer Church creates a space where relationships form naturally, faith conversations emerge organically, and community is built around a shared activity. It reminds us that church can happen wherever people gather to connect with one another and with God. This snapshot was developed through thoughtful research using publicly available sources, including websites, news articles, community updates and a brief conversation with the pioneer.
At Elkhart Northside Church of the Nazarene, a soccer field has become a place of prayer, community, and connection. Since 2018, Soccer Church has been creating a bilingual space where people gather around a shared love of the game and discover belonging along the way. Here’s a quick look at what it is, how it works, and why it matters. What It Is Soccer Church is a weekly gathering built around prayer, a short devotional, and the beautiful game. Every Monday evening from May through August, people of all ages come together on the soccer field for connection, encouragement, and play. How It Works The evening begins with prayer and a brief devotional before participants head onto the field. Families are welcome—whether they want to play soccer, cheer from the sidelines, or spend time together on the community playground. Everyone is invited, regardless of skill level or church background. Why It Matters For many people, a soccer field feels more familiar than a sanctuary. Soccer Church creates a space where relationships form naturally, faith conversations emerge organically, and community is built around a shared activity. It reminds us that church can happen wherever people gather to connect with one another and with God. This snapshot was developed through thoughtful research using publicly available sources, including websites, news articles, community updates and a brief conversation with the pioneer.
I’m the granddaughter of a grower, a horticulturist, and a pioneer who supplied the Eastern United States with delicious fruit and beautiful plants for decades. Growing up, I learned early that fertile fields don’t just happen—you prepare them. You walk the boundaries, test the soil, remove the rocks, and pray for rain. You learn to trust that the seeds you plant will bear fruit in time. That rhythm—preparing, sowing, tending, and trusting—has shaped how I see the church and the mission of God. Jesus tells a story in Matthew 13 about a sower who scatters seed with generous abandon. Some falls on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil that produces an abundant harvest. The sower’s work is not to force the growth, but to prepare the soil and make room for the Spirit’s increase. I think that’s what we’re doing in the Fresh Expressions movement—cultivating the kind of soil where the gospel can take root in the hearts of people who might never find their way into a sanctuary. When the Fields Called Wesley In the spring of 1739, John Wesley faced his own “field moment.” His friend George Whitefield invited him to preach outside the walls of the church—literally, in the open air—to miners and laborers who would never set foot in an Anglican parish. Wesley was hesitant. He had been formed as an Anglican priest, faithful to the order and rhythm of the church. But when he saw the crowds who were spiritually hungry yet far from the pews, he wrote in his Journal: “At four in the afternoon I submitted to be more vile, and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation.” — John Wesley’s Journal, April 2, 1739 Today, fewer than 1 in 3 Americans attend church services regularly, with only about 20% attending weekly and over half (57%) rarely or never participating in traditional religious gatherings. Meanwhile, nearly 30% of Americans now identify as religiously unaffiliated—a number that continues to rise each year. https://news.gallup.com/poll/642548/church-attendance-declined-religious-groups.aspx Yet, research consistently shows strong spiritual curiosity. For example, a recent study found that 66% of U.S. adults—even across generations—say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important today, and nearly a third of all Americans consider themselves “spiritually curious” despite not attending church. https://georgebarna.com/2025/02/most-americans-believe-in-a-supreme-power/ These trends echo the challenge that John Wesley faced—many people are unlikely to come inside church walls, but they remain deeply open to spiritual conversations and new expressions of Christian community outside traditional settings. That moment changed everything. Wesley didn’t abandon the Church of England; he sought to renew it from within by reaching those it had overlooked. His heart was not to create a rival church, but to extend the reach of grace—in his words to, “spread scriptural holiness throughout the land.” He knew the gospel could not be contained within the walls of even the most faithful parish. That is the beauty of the Methodist movement and perhaps what I most highly regard in Wesley’s theology. This important contribution to contemporary to Christian theogy is a both/and ness or as Wesley scholar Paul Chilcote refers to it “conjunctive theology” rather than either/or theology, that fleshes itself out in practical ways across our bridgebuilding tradition. Preparing the Soil Then and Now Wesley’s decision to take to the fields was not rebellion—it was reclamation. Both/And. He understood, as Jesus taught in Matthew 13, that the Word of God often meets resistance, but when the soil is ready, it multiplies thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold. The condition of the soil, in fact, did not prevent the Sower from scattering it generously if even perhaps, haphazardly. Wesley began organizing those who responded into small groups, or “societies, class meetings, and bands” where people could confess their sins, hear the stories and learn the ways of Jesus, and care for one another. Those early Methodists became gardeners of grace—cultivating holiness through community, discipline, and mission. That same pattern continues today in Fresh Expressions of church. We’re not creating something entirely new; we’re tending the fields Wesley and the circuit riders once rode through, believing again that God’s grace precedes us, is already at work, and wants to reach every person, in every place. We need only tend the soil of our communities. Whether it’s a dinner church, a running group, a recovery circle, or a coffee shop community, these expressions of church echo Wesley’s field preaching: going to where people are, not waiting for them to come to us. Sent in Pairs: Luke 10 and the Circuit Riders When Jesus sent out the seventy-two in Luke 10, He gave them clear instructions: “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves… Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.” (Luke 10:3–4) He told them to rely on the hospitality of others, to speak peace, and to heal. The mission was mobile, relational, and dependent on the Spirit. Those instructions could easily describe the circuit riders of early Methodism. They traveled light, trusted God to provide, and sought out people who hadn’t heard the good news. They were sent to proclaim grace, form communities of faith, and nurture discipleship in barns, taverns, and on front porches. Quite frankly, this depended on the everyday Christian and the ministry of the laity. The only way the Methodist movement was able to move across the American landscape was due to the empowerment of the laity. Today is no different. The people called Methodist speak to this value in our connectional system. These fresh expressions of church are one more way we can empower and deploy our laity while recapturing our Wesleyan roots like the circuit riders who paved the way for us today. Where might God be calling you to cultivate the soil in your own community? Who are the people on the edges—the ones who aren’t coming to church but whom Jesus longs to reach? How might you go, as Wesley did, to where the people already are? The circuit riders’ lives were marked by both grit and grace. They rode hundreds of miles through harsh weather, often sleeping outdoors (and sometimes even on horseback), driven by a conviction that no soul should be out of reach of grace. Their legacy reminds us that innovation in mission is never about novelty for its own sake—it’s about love that refuses to be limited by buildings or boundaries. Today’s Fresh Expressions pioneers share that same resilient spirit, seeking out the people and places where grace permeates the soil and seeds beg to break through. Cultivating Fields of Renewal Wesley often said, “The world is my parish.” It was both a statement of boldness and humility. He didn’t mean he owned the world; he meant the world was entrusted to him as a field of mission. Every village, every person, every pub, every workplace—each was soil in which the Spirit was at work. Today, our fields might look different—online spaces, neighborhood parks, assisted living facilities, tattoo parlors, or CrossFit gyms—but the call remains the same: to cultivate soil where grace can grow. When we experiment with new forms of church, we’re not forsaking the old fields; we’re expanding the boundaries of the parish. A Call to Go and Grow As the granddaughter of a grower, I know that preparing soil is slow, patient work. You can’t rush a harvest. You have to tend to what’s beneath the surface, trusting that God is already at work long before the first green shoots appear. As a Methodist, I recognize the same pattern in Wesley’s movement. His ministry took root because he went to the people and nurtured what God was already growing. Fresh Expressions today are simply another season in that same story—another generation of Methodists called to go, to till, to tend, and to trust. “I look upon all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation.” — John Wesley, Journal, June 11, 1739 As Jesus said to His followers in Luke 10, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” (Luke 10:2) The same is true today. The harvest fields around us are ripe—with people longing for belonging, meaning, and hope. The invitation is simple: Go. Prepare the soil. Trust that God is already scattering seed generously. For the “both/and” Wesleys, John and his brother Charles, there was no holiness apart from social holiness. Put another way, there was no holiness of heart apart from life. The linchpin, “The only thing that counts is faith working itself out through love.”-- Galatians 5:6 For the Wesley’s, holiness of heart and life is the goal toward which every Christian life should move. Ask God to show you one “field” near you where the soil might be ready. It could be a local café, a dog park, a recovery meeting, or a place you already spend time. Pray for the people there. Listen for their stories. Ask God how you might join God to bring peace and presence, not programs and plans. Because the same Spirit that sent Wesley to the fields is still sending us— into the world that is, even now, God’s parish.
I’m a Holiness, Pentecostal, Anabaptist. You won’t find that combination coming together very often anywhere, but I have found that all three streams work well within the Fresh Expressions movement. Some might assume that the Holiness/Pentecostal part makes sense with Fresh Expressions, but how can the Anabaptist part work? Afterall Fresh Expressions is a movement founded within the Church of England? How does Anabaptist belief and practice fit with that? Let’s remember that the Fresh Expressions movement took root in the fields of post-Christendom England just a few decades ago. Christian leaders among the church of England noticed that people were gathering in places outside the four walls of the church buildings to encounter God. Relational connections, networks of friendships were organically forming for mission in places of hurt, brokenness, marginalization. And outbreaks of the Spirit were happening. People were finding Christ in fresh and new ways. The church was happening among people that would never “go to church.” To their credit, the Anglican church leaders asked how can we support these movements and cooperate with what God was doing. Thus started a movement, the Mission-Shaped Church movement, as one of the founding documents was titled. It led to the Fresh Expressions movement in the UK and spread to North America. The Anabaptist movements have their origins 500 years ago in Europe, in the fields of post Christendom as well. In this case though, the Anabaptists were openly rejecting the Christendom alignment of church, state and culture. But like present-day Fresh Expressions, they represented the movements of Jesus happening outside the sanctioned four walls of the church and it’s hierarchies. As such, the two movements both started with Christians gathering outside the sanctioned practice and programs of the established church. And so we might expect that there’s much to learn from each other. Allow me to explore a few places where some of these learnings can happen. Christian leaders among the church of England noticed that people were gathering in places outside the four walls of the church buildings to encounter God. Post Christendom The medieval structures of the church, sponsored (and paid for) by the state, organized the church towards buildings, placing church authority in the offices of the priest/bishop, and coordinating the worship service and other programs of the church towards a uniform liturgy for all churches across the world. It was all part of Christendom. Anabaptists critiqued all of this, much of it for good reason. And this gave impetus for a reexamination of church outside the structures of the four walls of the Christendom church. In some ways, Fresh Expressions is doing today what Anabaptists have been doing for 500 years, the birthing of church expressions outside the walls and programming of institutional structure. Along with all this came an Anabaptist suspicion towards what had become the centralized leadership structures of the church and its proclivity towards hierarchy. Plagued with corruption, and abuse of power, Anabaptists left these medieval church hierarchies for more collaborative, organic forms of leadership. They sought to develop leadership “among” a people, not “over” a people. Five hundred years later, as we try to organize church outside the four walls of the church, what Fresh Expressions calls a ‘blended ecology,’ leadership will need to be organic in similar ways, doing the work of coalescing groups on the ground into the work of the Spirit. Anabaptists have some theology and history to offer Fresh Expressions in these tasks. But of course, it goes without saying, as with all movements, that over time institutions and bureaucracies get set in their ways. Five hundred years of Anabaptist history has shown how some of the best ideas on collaborative leadership, mutual and communal discernment, can go awry. Fresh Expressions has much to offer Anabaptists in this regard. Their work in training and developing new kinds of leaders can reinvigorate the Anabaptist work of developing leaders. Fresh Expressions can reinvigorate old histories, while Anabaptists can help in not repeating old mistakes. If Anabaptists have the history, Fresh Expressions has the energy. Anabaptists bring wisdom. Fresh Expressions brings the ”fresh” eyes. Together, I believe, a dialogue can ignite both for the work of Christ’s kingdom. If Anabaptists have the history, Fresh Expressions has the energy. Community and Discipleship Anabaptists see the church as more than a collection of individuals who gather to receive religious goods and service from the professionals. American churches have sometimes fallen into that trap. Fresh Expressions and Anabaptists alike resist that consumer approach to church. For Anabaptists, the community is central to the life of the believer. This Anabaptist focus wards off the consumerist tendencies of our culture. For Anabaptists, fellowship around a table at a potluck meal is almost sacramental. It is a special place to encounter Christ. The church is an alive organism of the Holy Spirit whereby we discern life together and the salvation made possible in Jesus Christ becomes real and lived together. Christianity is not a religion. Church is not a set of programs. It is a way of life given to us in Christ, lived out under His Lordship over a community, made possible by the Holy Spirit. Discipleship moves to the forefront for Anabaptists because Christians can no longer depend on the culture of Christendom to support Christian life. It must be the church community itself that generates culture and life sufficient to nurture our souls into faithfulness. And so the church as a community, alive with the gifts of the Spirit, eating meals at a table, discerning the teachings of Scripture, become a whole way of life that disciples believers into the Kingdom. There can be no consumerism here. This changes the way we think about ecclesiology. Anabaptists focus on practices, that shape beliefs into behavior. The questions we ask shift. When is a community just an affinity group, when is it mission, when is it discipleship? What is the core practices of discipleship and community that ground us in Jesus? As Fresh Expressions builds communities and practices for building communities outside the church, the wisdom of Anabaptists is helpful. The Anabaptist focus on practices, not only beliefs or programs, is helpful. And yet, as Anabaptists seek to avoid their own communities from becoming insular, coercive or sectarian, they can learn communal formation for mission all over again at Fresh Expressions. Together, Anabaptists and Fresh Expressions together, in dialogue, can ignite both for the renewal of the kingdom in our neighborhoods. The Kingdom Versus creedal formulas, Anabaptists tend to focus on Jesus first, his whole life, his proclamation of the Kingdom of God coming in his presence. The gospel is the whole life of Jesus, his victory over sin, death and evil. And so salvation hardly makes sense apart from Jesus’ preaching of the Kingdom of God, the inauguration of the Kingdom, and the living in that Kingdom now in anticipation of its future. Salvation can never be only personal, it is intensely social. And salvation can never be only social, it is intensely personal andn transformation as I personally follow Jesus and make Him Lord of my life. It is this full gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and its inextricable link to the Kingdom that takes us beyond the individualist formulas. The Christendom forces in our history will always tempt us to turn salvation in Jesus into a formula Anabaptists of all streams can learn and be invigorated from the. But we must resist and learn the ways of calling people into something deeper. This is the heart of Fresh Expressions, it seems to me. Anabaptists can help Fresh Expressions with this call to something deeper. But sometimes Anabaptists can also get caught into an echo chamber. Over time our language and skills of communication lose the ability to engage the world outside the church. Fresh Expressions is ever pressing into how we can communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom into broken places. Once again, I believe, that Anabaptists and Fresh Expressions together, in dialogue, can ignite a renewal of evangelism and witness to the kingdom in our neighborhoods. Courage for new adventures must take hold. We’re In New Territory Now In summary, if there’s one thing I have learned from both Anabaptists and Fresh Expressions, it’s that once we understand the social dynamics of the new post-Christendom cultures, our entire missiology and ecclesiology must shift. Old habits must die. Courage for new adventures must take hold. And God is calling us into these new fields of post-Christendom to do mission. And for this calling, I am so blessed to have partaken of both the Anabaptists streams and Fresh Expressions streams of theology and practice. I pray God brings these two great historical movements together more in the future to accomplish great things for the Kingdom of God in Jesus name.
